Movable headlight for locomotives.



S. E. SIMMONS.

MOVABLE HEADLIGHT FOR LOCOMOTIVES APPLIOATIQN IILED JULY 9,1913.

1,081,992, Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

(WW/49 JW/mzwm Inventor Witnesses l Aftgrneys SHELBY IE. SHEMQNS, 0F EJUSSELLVILLE, KENTUCKY.

MOVABLE FIGHT OB LOCOMO E$- speciflcation of Letters lfatent.

lated Dec. 23., 1913..

application filed Uuly 9., 1913. Serial No. 778,136.

To all whom it may concern Be :it known that ii, SHELBY E. SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Logan and State-of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Movable Headlight for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in movable headlights for locomotives and more particularly to an apparatus in which the locomotive headlight is automatically turned as the locomotive encounters a curve.

An object of the present invention is to provide a locomotive headlight which is turned by and proportional to the inclination of the locomotive for the continual illumination of the track.

A further object is to provide oppositely disposed communicating cylinders with floats arranged therein and secured to the headlight so that changes in the correspond ing 'levels of the liquid contained within the said cylinders will produce corresponding changes in the line of propagation of the light.

Afurther-objeot is to provide a headlight turning apparatus wherein the time-element may be varied.

With the foregoing and other ob ects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and 7 claimed, it being understood that changes in "the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, with out departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof, the preferable form of my invention is illus trated, in which Figure 1 is a view of my device with portions thereof removed and illustrating the outline of the boiler of a locomotive to 111118- trate the respective relations of the various parts. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the foregoing.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, 3 is the locomotive boiler around which the liquid containing portion of my apparatus fits so that the heat derived therefrom will be suliicient to prevent the freezing of the \liquid within the liquid, containing portion of the apparatus despite climatic conditions. lt gidly secured and upon opposite sides of the boiler 3 are the open-ended lindrica'ltanks l which are provided with t e age glasses 5 for obvious reasons. -Eaten ing between the lower portions of the cylindrical tanks 4 and bringin the same into communication is the con uit or pipe 6, the same being provided with a suitable valve 7 therein and which is adapted to control the time element, by which is meant the time required for a change in the level of the track to produce a corresponding or functional cha e in the line of light propagation of the bee light. The members 4 and 6 constitute a U- tube with the upstanding legs l thereof disposed upon opposite sides of the locomotive boiler. A suitable pet-cock 8 is secured to the pipe 6 and provides a suitable drain therefon- As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings there are three retaining flanges 9 secured tothe U-tube and to the sides of the locomotive boiler. However, the exact means of attachment constitutes no part of the present invention, it onl being necessary that the said tube be rigidly held to the boiler and prevented from any relative movement with respect thereto.

Extending upwardly from the top tromities of the cylindrical tanks 4 IS the circular strip 10 conforming to the outline of the boiler and supporting a stationary headlight carrying carriage thereabove.

Pivotally secured to the carriage or 'frame 11 is the-headlight 120i conventional type, there being suitable trunnions 13 extending therefrom so as to pi-votall-y secure the said headlight to the frame and capable of rotating about a vertical axis so that the line of light propagation may be shifted in a horizontal plane. Secured to and extending rearwardly from the headlight is the'lever 14 to which are adjustably secured the diverging fiexible elements 15.

Mounted'within the cylindrical tank 4; and slidably disposed with relation thereto are the open-ended floats 16, each of which is provided with a suitable air valve 17. It is possible to vary the weights of the floats to cause corresponding changes in the inertia thereof.

The flexible elements 15 are passed through suitable guides 18 which are osi tioned centrally a ove the open ends 0 the cylindrical tanks and after which the said flexible elements pass downwardly into the cylindrical tanks and are permanently secured to the floats.

llt is to be noted that there is a suitable cap 4 removably secured to the open ends of the cylinders 4: whereby the accumulation of foreign material within the cylinders will be prevented.

The operation of my device is substantially as follows :A suitable liquid is introduced within the ill-tube and by means of the pet-cock 8 and the .gage glasses 5 the normal level thereof is suitably adjusted. As the locomotive encounters a curve, the banking thereof causes an inclination of the locomotive and which inclination will vary the respective levels of the liquid or mobile element within the cylindricaltanks 4 taken with respect to some reference line upon the tanks themselves. Thus a corresponding movement of the floats will take place with the result that the headlight will be rotated about a vertical axis due to the connection with the floats by reason of the flexible elements 15. Although centrifugal force will tend to neutralize the movements of the liquid caused by the inclining oi the locomotive, it has been found that with the locomotive traveling at a normal rate of speed,-

the centrifugal force does not entirely neutralize the eflect due to the banking of the track, taken with respect to the liquid or mobile element. it has been found in practice that in order for the various, parts to properly respond, some means must be provided for controlling the flow of liquid between the two cylindrical tanks as the respective levels thereof are varied. This may take the form of reducing the pipe 6 as illustrated or by introducing the valve 7 whereby a nick and ready adjustment can be ob tained. Also the density of the liquid can be varied and which will cause a variation the time element as it is thought will be clearly apparent. Mention is also made of the fact that the weights oi the floats can be easily adjusted to vary the inertia thereof.

The device herein disclosed can be usedv upon other moving vehicles traveling upon rails besides locomotives, without-varying from the spirit oi the invention.

What is claimed is 1. in an apparatus of the class described, the combination of spaced communicating liquid containing tanks, a movable light,

noeneea 2. ln an apparatus of the class described, the combination of upstanding open spaced liquid receiving communicating tanks, floats disposed therein andmeans for varying the weights thereof, a headlight mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, flexible elements connected to the floats and tothe said headlight, means for varying the weights of the said floats to cause corresponding variations in the inertia thereof, and means for var ing the time lapsing between a change 0 levels of the communicating tanks and the corresponding move ment of the headlight.

- 3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a locomotive boiler, of a U-tube positioned around and adjacent the lower portion of said boiler and adapted to be heated thereby,said tube adapted to contain a mobile element therein, floats disposed within the legs of said U-tube, means for regulating the flow of liquid between said legs, a movable light propagating source, and means extending between the said floats and the said light propagating source adapted to control the movements of the latter. I

v 4:. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of communicatin liquid containing tanks, floats slidably disposed therein, a valve controlling the flow of liquid between the said liquid containing communicating tanks to thereby control the time lapsing between a change in the levels of the liquid in the tanks and the corresponding movement of a rotating element, and an element mounted for limited rotation, and means extending between said element and said floats for controlling the movements of the former by and with the latter.

5. In an apparatus of the class. described,

.the combination of spaced liquid containing tanks, a tube extending therebetween and communicating therewith, inverted cupshaped floats slidably disposed within said tank, means for regulating the volume of air within the upper portion of said inverted cup-shaped floats, to thereby regulate the buoyancy of said floats, a movable light propagating source, and means extending between said floats and said light propagating source adapted to control the movements of the latter with and by the former.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, it have hereto affixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

SHELBY E. SIMMQNS.

Witnesses:

H. E, SIMMONS, A. lz icLn/ n. 

